


Until We Reach The Border..

by leoxxii



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, au where ralph joins kara and alice, bc todds dumbass, connor and jericrew only appear a chap or two, he deserved a route where he could join them, nothing graphic tho just mentioned, so i wrote it myself, this is a kara and fam fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-07-04 20:51:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15849126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leoxxii/pseuds/leoxxii
Summary: Ralph made a quiet sad noise that caused Kara to look back at him. He was holding onto one of the poles that went from the ceiling to the floor, and had a discontent look on his face. Kara smiled and reached out one of her hands to him. He looked confused for a second, before breaking out into a gleeful grin, and taking her hand as he sat down next to them.The three sat like that for most of the ride; Alice in Kara’s arms, with Ralph beside them holding one of the other android’s hands.[STORY ON LONGTERM/PERMENANT HIATUS AND MAY NOT BE UPDATED FOR LONG PEROIDS OF TIME IF UPDATED AT ALL. SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE TO READERS AWAITING THE FINISHED OUTCOME.]





	1. On The Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the bad summary ajsdfnlkansdflk
> 
> basically just kara's story but if ralph went with them!! probably pretty bad but i only saw like one other fanfic where ralph goes with them and there's not very many kara/luther or ralph/jerry fanfics so?? i had to write this :oo
> 
> some things to establish at first here though:
> 
> kara's got a gun but todd isn't dead!! kara missed her shot a little bit and only grazed him; the fight happened a bit differently and she was more focused on keeping alice safe and getting her away so she wasn't paying much attention and panicked when she shot at him
> 
> kara went to the abandoned house and met ralph!!
> 
> basically starts at the dinner table the morning connor goes searching
> 
>  
> 
> ok now enjoy!! :o

“Don’t lie Ralph, you killed that man! You say you hate humans, but you’re just like them, you’re a _murderer_!”

“Ralph didn’t mean any harm!”

Kara tries not to flinch as the other android jerks and nearly slams his knife down. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Alice recoil and glance back at Kara. She can only assume the girl was silently trying to share her fear without Ralph noticing.

“When his anger comes, Ralph doesn’t know what he’s doing..” the male android continued, an apologetic and scared look on his face, “he just gets so angry...it consumes him, makes him stupid...and full of hatred...Ralph is sorry, he just wanted to be your friend...”

Kara opens her mouth, glancing at Alice, trying to think of a response that won’t cause another emotional response from the other android, before she hears the voice of someone outside.

“Anyone home? Detroit Police!”

Fear shoots up Kara’s spine, and she looks helplessly at Ralph just to see the same panic-stricken look on his face. “Please,” she whispers, not even entirely sure what she’s asking for, but he nods all the same, and stands up.

“Hide over there! Ralph will get them to leave!” Ralph murmurs, gesturing to the stairs. Kara grabs Alice’s hand and quickly ducks under the stairs; the black haired android hides the girl behind her as much as possible, in a last ditch attempt to keep her safe. Kara wants to trust Ralph, but she isn’t sure if he’ll do well under pressure.

Kara has her back turned, and can’t see Ralph, but she hears the front door open and swears her heart starts beating loud enough for whoever it is to hear her.

“There’s blue blood on the fence. I know there’s another android here.” The person says after a beat.

“T-That’s Ralph’s blood! He cut himself coming through.”

Kara heard a huff from the officer, and she immediately knew Ralph’s lie was seen through.

“I’m looking for an AX400. Have you seen any around?” they asked, footsteps causing creaking through the floorboards as they looked around.

Ralph was quiet for a moment, “No. Ralph’s seen nobody.”

Another silent moment that felt like an eternity passed. Kara heard a door being opened, and closed again soon after.

“Everything's okay. I won't hurt you. I just need to know where they are,” the officer’s voice suddenly softened into a soothing tone. Ralph didn't reply, but Kara hoped it didn't convince him to answer any questions. She wanted to trust Ralph. Wanted to believe he'd protect her and Alice.

Kara felt herself hold her breath when footsteps came closer to where she was hiding. Alice let out a barely audible whimper, and hid her head in Kara’s stomach. Kara reached out a hand to hold her shoulder, thoughts and plans of escape whirling through her mind.

A box behind her was pushed aside, and a hand just managed to grip her shoulder before being pulled off.

“Run! Quick, Kara!”

Upon hearing Ralph’s voice, Kara got to her feet and hoisted up Alice in one quick motion. She took one glance at Ralph holding back a person in a suit much taller and stronger than him, before grabbing Alice’s hand and darting towards the back exit.

From behind her she could hear a crash and a set of steps running after her. Alice yelped, and Kara felt too scared to risk looking back, and wished she could run faster without losing Alice. She came to a cross in the road and paused, taking a wild look around. One path led to a tall fence, and the other way towards the train station.

_‘We need to get on that train!’_ Kara’s brain spurred, terror causing her to freeze up.

“Kara, Ralph stopped the android chasing you!” Kara turned at Ralph’s voice. He looked pleased with himself, despite the situation.

“Ralph, what-”

“Ralph is tired of being lonely and living in fear, he wants to go with you and the little one!” He exclaimed, clearly set in his plans already. Kara wanted to trust Ralph. She really didn’t.

But she also had no doubt that if the humans caught him now, they’d kill him.

And when she heard police sirens racing towards them, her mind blanked with one thought; survive. So she grabbed Ralph with her free hand and raced towards the fence. He tumbled and slowed Kara for a second, before gaining his footing and running with a pace just slower than hers.

Kara pushed Alice up the fence, and quickly followed. Ralph pushed himself up the side and leaped over before Kara even had one foot over the other side; she didn’t dwell on it for long. As she jumped down and reached to help Alice off, she spotted the suited android from the squat round the corner and quickly come to a halt in front of her. She noticed his LED first, and the carefully guarded look in his eyes next. She faintly heard Ralph huff behind her.

_‘Why are you doing this to us? I’m an android, too!’_

A clicking noise made her move her gaze from the other android to a human officer; pointing a gun straight at her. She pushed Alice behind her, and turned to run in the opposite direction.

“Don’t shoot! We need it alive!”

Kara slid down a muddy slope and came to the highway. A large holographic sign covered the side.

**‘DANGER. VERY HIGH SPEEDS. NO PEDESTRIAN CROSSING. DANGER.’**

“Ralph thinks this is a bad idea, he does. He doesn’t want to die. He doesn’t, no,” Kara heard Ralph mumbling to himself, and took one look back at the android staring at her through the fence, before picking Alice up and placing her on the side of the road, and stepping over the railing herself. She reached out a hand to Ralph, who anxiously held it as he stepped onto the road with them.

Kara scanned both sides of the road, before realizing they weren’t going to have time to wait; they were being chased, and the police could still reach them this close to the fence. She took a deep breath - one she didn’t even need, just one she felt would help calm her nerves for the moment - and darted further out with both Alice and Ralph in hand.

Alice screamed as they narrowly avoided a car, and she did again when Kara yanked her back as another one sped past the trio. Ralph’s side scraped against a car as he flinched back, and he let out a strangled whine. Kara didn’t have time to scan him for injuries, and instead ran forward.

The three pushed and pulled away from cars, before Kara pushed Alice across and the girl stumbled before climbing over the railing to a path in between. Ralph dashed across the strip of road to join her, and turned around quickly. His eyes looked up and he took a step back as he looked back down at Kara, who was anxiously waiting for a long enough pause in traffic to cross.

“Kara! Now, quick!” Ralph yelled, and Kara ran as fast as she could. As she passed, the wind of the cars passing made her lose her balance, but she quickly jumped the barrier to join Alice and Ralph. She grabbed Alice’s hand and quickly ran across the grass path as far as she could. As she reached the end of the path, she heard another pair of footsteps coming closer. As she climbed over the railings with Ralph beside, she risked a glance back. She spotted the android from the fence, and his eyes didn't have the glazed over thoughtful look she saw before; now they were set on her with a fiery determination. Kara felt fear scorch through her, and picked up Alice to pull her across to the road.

The police android was quickly gaining on them in the few moments they had stopped, and Kara quickly pushed Alice into Ralph’s arms. Alice screeched and struggled against his hold, but the black haired android trusted him to be able to hold her. Kara pushed him forward just as she felt a hand grab her arm.

“Kara! No!” She heard Alice yell out for her, but the girl’s voice was almost completely drowned out by the sound of cars driving by. Kara tried running after the two, but another arm snaked itself around her waist and pulled her back. Kara pushed her elbow against the taller android’s side, and squirmed in an attempt to get free. The other android just grunted, his hold not loosening in the slightest.

She heard a car speed towards them, and pushed back against the other android as hard as she could, and he stumbled backwards enough to avoid being hit. Kara was sure she caught him by surprise, and pulled away just as quick.

As soon as she was free, she ran across to where Ralph and Alice were anxiously waiting. Ralph had set Alice down, but kept a hand in front of her to stop her from getting near the highway again. Kara just managed to reach the other side without getting hit, and Alice immediately threw her arms around Kara and hid her face in the android’s stomach. Kara hugged her back for a second.

Ralph let out a scared noise, and Kara looked at him, “Ralph thinks we should go now,” he said, his voice just a bit rushed, and she looked back to the android dazed on the side of the road. She grabbed Alice’s hand and ran uphill with Ralph beside her.

Kara was sure that if androids had to breath, her lungs would be burning by how long they had been running. She heard Alice huffing beside her, and briefly considered handing her to Ralph again for the rest of the way, before giving up on the idea based on how Alice acted last time.

As the staircase to the station came into view, Kara sped up, and quickly climbed the escalator. She was relieved to find the doors to the train had just opened as they reached the top of the stairs, and she quickly went in with Alice and Ralph beside her. The three skidded to a halt inside, and the doors closed again after a moment. Kara felt another sense of pure relief that nobody else had joined the train with them.

She didn’t want to deal with other humans right now, and Ralph would have definitely freaked out if another person was there.

Kara knelt down to Alice, and scanned her; no injuries, just highly stressed and scared. “You okay?” She asked, softening her voice, hoping she didn’t miss anything in her scan of the child. Alice nodded silently, but reached out to hug Kara. Kara lips curved up into a small smile as she hugged back, happiness and protectiveness replacing the crushing fear she had felt earlier.

Ralph made a quiet sad noise that caused Kara to look back at him. He was holding onto one of the poles that went from the ceiling to the floor, and had a discontent look on his face. Kara smiled and reached out one of her hands to him. He looked confused for a second, before breaking out into a gleeful grin, and taking her hand as he sat down next to them.

The three sat like that for most of the ride; Alice in Kara’s arms, with Ralph beside them holding one of the other android’s hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaAAAA thanks for reading i hope u enjoyed this mess!! ;o;


	2. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hell yeah next chapter ba BY

Kara could only roughly estimate how long the train ride would take; she had never been this way before, and usually human activity determined how long each ride took. Less people always made everything easier, or so she deems true. Alice was taking a nap on one of the seats, her head in Kara’s lap. Ralph was looking out one of the windows, quietly observing. Kara wondered what was going through his head.

Gazing at him made Kara aware of his plentiful scars. His hands were covered in blue tissue and white plastic showed where his skin had peeled back and couldn't reform. She could find or steal some gloves easily enough to cover them.

But what about his face? Several white spots were covering the left side, along with long blue scars and a caved in jawline. Although the person she was heading towards apparently helped androids, and it wouldn’t be a problem there, what about before? How could they make it the human’s house at all if they were stopped because of how suspicious and detectable Ralph was?

She found herself doubting her decision to bring the other android along. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt guilty; is she left Ralph, he surely would have been killed. Now, even if they get seen, at least they all had been given a chance to escape. That’s what mattered the most, right? Freedom.

“Kara?” The unexpected quiet voice made Kara jump, and Alice moved slightly in her sleep. Kara glanced back at Ralph; she didn’t even notice that she had looked away in her thoughts.

“Yes, Ralph?”

The android seemed hesitant for a moment. “Ralph thinks that you don’t like his scars. That they’ll get us caught by the humans. Yes, they would get us caught, wouldn’t they?” He murmured, twitching a little bit as he brought a hand up to graze against his burnt cheek. He winced and dropped it to his side again.

Kara paused, thinking about how to reply. He was right; she was thinking that. But would he get angry if she confirmed his thoughts? Would he want to go back to the abandoned building he stayed at? Would he get them caught on purpose?

Kara felt a little angry at herself for being so paranoid. But could you blame her for being wary? After all that’s happened the past 24 hours?

She blinked and smiled warmly at him, hoping to keep him settled. “Come here, I have an idea,” He had a confused look as he walked over, but he did as she asked and sat down next to her. She took a look at the clothes he was wearing, her eyes settling on the scarf-like piece he had hanging around his neck.

_‘Maybe I can..’_

She reached out a hand, and Ralph flinched back as she neared his face. She paused, recoiling after seeing the terror in his one seeing eye.

“It’s okay, Ralph. I just want to see your hood,” Kara murmured, trying to simultaneously not wake up Alice and comfort the android next to her. Ralph nodded, and she moved her hand over again. The way his hands fidgeted and his head turned to warily watch her movements didn’t go unnoticed.

Kara rearranged the scarf to bunch up more and hide his face better. Although it wasn’t much, it would at least hide the bottom half of his face better. Maybe humans would just pass it off as a normal scarf; they were lucky it was November.

Ralph relaxed again when her hands went back to Alice’s head. He shook his head slightly to loosen the scarf covering his mouth; Kara worried he might knock it back down again, but he was careful enough to just move it to be more comfortable while still concealing his looks. He looked back at Kara and smiled.

“Ralph promises to try to keep his scars hidden. He doesn’t want you or the little one to be caught. He doesn’t want himself to be caught, either! No, that would be bad for Ralph. He’ll keep hidden from the humans!”

Kara felt oddly warmed by the words. “Thank you, Ralph. You won’t have to do it for long, just until we get out of the crowded part of the city.”

Suddenly the train compartment announced the arrival of their stop. Kara gently shook Alice awake.

“Alice? Wake up, we have to go now.” She whispered, as Ralph stood up to look out the windows again. Alice sat up and yawned, rubbing at her eyes. Kara stood up, and held out her hand for the girl to hold. As the train slowed to a stop, Kara looked down at Alice. She felt herself smile. She could only find one word to describe how she felt about the young human.

Family.

A small one. But a family nonetheless.

And as she looked over at Ralph, who was excitedly bouncing between his feet, in a rush to leave, she wondered if she would one day consider him family, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that this ones short ajdnskkaka i had to write in some extra chapters to get better development between them,,,


	3. Zlatko

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's REAL LONG me hearties,,,,tuck urself in and get a snack,,,,

It was dark by the time the trio reached the house that the android on the streets told Kara about. Miraculously, they had managed to get out of the city without anyone stopping them; only a few people even spared much more than a glance at them. Ralph kept his head down and close to Kara like he promised, and his scarf had slid off his face to return to its usual state of disarray around his neck. Their walk was mostly quiet, though Ralph pointed out plants to tell Alice about occasionally. It had made Kara happy to see him make a better effort to gain the child’s trust, and Alice seemed more relaxed by the time Kara paused at the mansion.

As Kara looked up at the large and dark house, she noted how the outside looked torn and old, and the large fence surrounding made the place seem like the owner didn’t want visitors. The dirty look reminded her of Todd. She felt Alice grip her hand a little tighter, and wondered if the same thought had crossed her mind.

“Kara, I don’t like this place..” The little girl commented, looking up at Kara with scared brown eyes.

“Yes, Ralph isn’t too sure, either. Houses like this should be abandoned, humans like things clean and neat, why would one live here? Not a good human, no, it can’t be..” Ralph said, his voice getting quieter towards the end of his sentence, and he mumbled something else under his breath that Kara couldn’t catch.

The black haired android squeezed Alice’s hand, and crouched down next to her. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. He’s going to help us, remember? He helps androids who need a place to go, just like us.” Kara reassured her. Alice seemed content with her words, and nodded.

Kara stood back up and slowly opened the gate, finding it not locked. As she stepped closer to the house, she noticed that Ralph had walked away from her and stood on the other side of Alice. He was looking around carefully, trying to pinpoint any danger. Kara wondered if he was doing it to protect himself, or to protect Alice.

Upon reaching the door, Kara hesitated before ringing the doorbell. Nobody opened the door after a few moments, so Kara reached up her hand to ring again. As she did, the door opened just slightly, and a old bearded face was staring at her with a frown.

“What do you want?” He asked, his voice gruff. Kara felt even more reminded of Todd, and chills shot down her spine. Her mouth opened to reply, and for a second no noise came, before she recollected herself.

“We were told you could help us,” She answered, her voice a lot quieter than she intended it to be.

The man stared at her for a moment, before grunting and attempting to close the door again. Kara quickly put out her hand to stop it, and the human glared at her.

“Please, we really need it,” She asked again, desperation leaking into her voice. The bearded human kept his eyes on her for another long moment, before looking over her shoulder. She noticed his eyes change to an unreadable expression. He looked back at her for a second, before opening the door, a soft smile on his lips.

“You’re androids.” He said, more of a statement than a question. Kara nodded, and took Alice’s hand as she stepped into the large building. Ralph took a shielding step in front of Alice, and eyed the man with an angry look. Kara reached out a hand to hold his shoulder for a moment. He didn’t look back at her, but he leaned just slightly into the touch.

The man took a few steps towards another room, pausing to look back at the three, and gesturing to follow.

“Come, sit down! You must be tired,” He mused, walking around one of the couches to grab a drink. Kara hesitantly looked around the room as she followed. Alice and Ralph stayed close to her.

“Luther! Come collective the ladies and gentleman’s jackets! They’re guests!” The man called out, gesturing towards the three. Kara’s eyebrows furrowed. She hadn’t seen anyone else in the room, though the human hadn’t yelled loud enough to have been calling for someone somewhere else in the house.

Alice suddenly flinched and hid behind her, and Kara glanced up to see a looming man walking towards them. She took a scared step backwards, hiding Alice, as Ralph stood in his place and glared. Kara could tell he was trying to defend the two, but his hands hesitantly twitched over a spot on his hips for no discernible reason, and the android was shaking. Probably from fear. The human noticed, and walked over to place a hand on the arm of the taller one.

“Oh, don’t mind our big friend here. He’s friendly. Helps keep me company in this big, old house!” He said, patting the arm in a calming manner. Kara looked back up the tall person, noticing a blue LED on the side of his head. An android?

Why would someone set out to help androids keep one himself? Wouldn’t he free Luther?

The tall android’s lips turned up every so slightly in a smile, just for a second, before returning to its regular resting face. He took another step forward, and offered out a hand to take the coats, but as he did, Ralph let out a tiny squeak and stepped behind Kara just like Alice had, his LED spinning a dark red and yellow, quickly flashing between the two.

Kara took off her jacket and handed it to Luther, before reaching down to take off Alice’s. The large android strode off as he collected them, walking slower than he probably needed to; Kara assumed it was to keep Ralph and Alice from further panic. Kara wondered if he was deviant. Why else would an android take extra note and care in something so small?

Why did he stay here then?

Kara shook the thoughts from her mind, and led Alice over to sit down on the couch opposite of where the human sat. Ralph didn’t sit, but instead stood next to the arm of the seat, looking out the room to where Luther left.

“So, how’d you find out about me?” The man asked, his hands up resting against the back of the couch, evidently way more relaxed than the trio. Kara smiled politely.

“An android on the street told me. He said a man named Zlatko could help us, and sent me this location.” Kara answered. The man nodded thoughtfully.

“Hm...a place you can be free? A home where you can live without fear? Start a new life? Be a family, with your own home, with no worry of anyone being after you? Enjoy the sunset...be happy.” He pondered, his eyes clouded in a dream-like state. “I hear Canada’s nice this time of year.” Kara smiled, enjoying the thought.

She thought of watching the sunset with Alice. Of baking cookies, and watching movies. Reading stories to her to help her fall asleep. Teaching her to paint. Celebrating birthdays, and Christmas, and Halloween. Playing in the snow and going for walks in a park. Enjoying quiet moments where they could just be happy, without worrying about Todd, or police, or the government, or Cyberlife.

Just peace.

The mere idea of it filled Kara with a giddy happiness she hadn’t quiet felt before.

“Yeah- yes, that’s exactly what we want!” Kara excitedly replied. Alice looked quite pleased when Kara looked down at her. When the android look over at Ralph, however, he seemed much more skeptical than the two girls. Kara blamed it on the distrust of all humans and dismissed her worries. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Luther standing at the doorway; his LED was red and quickly changed to blue as she looked at him. She didn’t understand him.

Zlatko sat up a bit straighter in thought, before nodding and standing up.

“Okay, alright then! Ah- but first, we’re going to have to remove your trackers.”

Kara froze, confusingly watching him get up to put his drink back on the table behind the couch.

“Trackers?”

“Yep! All androids have them- in case they going missing. We just have to remove your and your friend’s trackers, and then I can see about getting you across the border.” Kara thought about it for a moment - she didn’t particularly trust the man, but the android on the street wouldn’t have told her about him if he wasn’t trustworthy enough, right? - before nodding and standing to follow Zlatko.

“The kid can stay in the living room,” He called out, walking over to a staircase that led downwards. Kara heard two footsteps behind her; one lighter and quicker than the other, which was heavy and, in a strange way, thoughtful. Someone who knew exactly what they were doing, where they were going; something they’ve done countless times before.

“No. She stays with me.”

Kara wondered how many other androids had passed by this place.

How were their lives now?

Zlatko huffed with a barely concealed annoyance. Kara ignored it.

As they walked down the stairs, the room suddenly felt small and dusty. She remembered the staircase at Todd’s house. Everything suddenly screamed of _‘Todd’_. Kara looked over her shoulder at Ralph and Luther, seeing both of them with a similar uncomfortable and scared look on their face. Luther looked slightly guilty.

She pushed her doubts away again. She had no choice but to trust him. She had no choice.

“Sorry about the mess! I have to keep all my equipment in this basement so the authorities don’t find it. Removing trackers is...very illegal, so I chose discretion over comfort.” The man commented as they walked down one of the long hallways. He looked over his shoulder at them, before glancing down at Alice.

“The little one won’t be scared, will it?” He asked, turning another corner that led to a hallway of large rooms. They were designed almost like...cages?

“No, she’ll be fine!”

“Kara. I don’t like this place.” Alice whispered, stopping to look through a door into the dark stall. “Or that man.”

Kara whispered back, “I know. I don’t either. But we don't have any reason to not trust him.”

“Yes, we do,” Ralph muttered, his LED still flashing back and forth from red to yellow as he walked past them. Kara didn’t reply. She looked back at Luther, who was watching Alice. He looked at Kara after a second, and the two stared at each other for what felt like a long moment.

His LED flashes red again.

It returns to blue just as quick again.

“Kara?”

She blinked and looked back at Ralph, who was awkwardly standing alone at the end of the hall, fidgeting with his hands. She smiled apologetically at him, and gently pulled Alice to continue walking. Finally, they reached the end of the hall, which opened up into a small room with computer screens and a large machine in the middle of the room. It looked like nothing Kara had ever seen before.

“Give me a second to set everything up..” The man said, leaning over one of the computer screens. Ralph was staring at the man with a look that worried Kara. She hesitantly reached up her hand to rest on his shoulder again. His gaze torn away from the human to look at her this time, and his LED went back to a steady yellow. Kara found that yellow seemed more normal than blue to the skittish android, so it comforted her to see it remain the color.

Zlatko stood up, and gestured to Kara, “Alright! You first; just step into it, and i’ll take it from there.” Kara dropped her hand from Ralph’s shoulder, and let go of Alice’s hand to walk into the white circle. She turned around, looking at Zlatko for guidance. “I should warn you; this could be quite unpleasant.”

Suddenly claw-like arms grabbed onto her, and something latched itself onto the back of her neck. The machine raised her about a foot off the ground. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. She looked around, her eyes resting on Ralph and Alice. They were standing to the side of the room, Luther beside them. Ralph’s LED went back to flashing yellow-red. Alice was watching with just as much anxiety.

Zlatko suddenly chuckled, and Kara turned her head to look at him. He slowly walked in front of her. “You know what’s strange?...for some reason, androids’ trackers stop working when they become deviant. It’s why it’s so hard to find them. So really...there’s no reason to remove your tracker.”

Kara felt sick.

“What? But you said-”

“Yeah, I know what I said.” He interrupted, his voice suddenly dark. “People believe what they want. Deviants are...incredibly naive.” He paused, looking at the other three androids. Luther was carefully watching Alice and Ralph. The girl was looking up at Kara fearfully, and Ralph’s LED had become a blinking red, and he was twitching more than usual. Kara worried about his stress levels, and tried to scan him, before realizing something was preventing her.

“They all come to me, expecting me to help them; instead, i just reset them. Sell them.” Zlatko continued, “or I keep them for my little experiments.”

“No! No, I don’t want to be reset! Let me go!” Kara struggled against the machine, desperate to escape. She can’t forget Alice. How could she forget Alice?

“Kara!” Alice yelled, attempting to run to her, before being stopped by Luther. The tall android had done nothing more than place a hand in front of her, but it sufficiently stopped the girl in her tracks. Zlatko turned.

“Oh! I forgot about the-” he paused, pointing and doing a gesture with his hand, “-child! And that monster you brought along.” He turned his head, before doing another gesture to Luther. “Eh, just lock them up. I’ll deal with ‘em later.”

“Alice! Alice, no!” Kara screamed that time, kicking out her legs in an attempt to break free. Ralph and Alice were now definitely spooked. Ralph’s eye kept darting from her, to Luther, to Zlatko, and back again. It terrified her more than such a small thing had any reason to.

Then again, at the moment, everything terrified her.

Zlatko let out a gasp. “Wow! A deviant that wants to be a mother. That’s...that’s so sweet! And so deluded.” Kara yanked on her arms, testing how strong the machine was holding her. There’s no way she could break out of them while they were powered on like this.

Suddenly, Ralph stepped out and pushed Alice away from Luther to be behind him. His hands darted to the place on his hip that Kara noticed him graze over when they met Luther. Kara noticed a holster on the area, that she hadn’t noticed before; before she could even fully process what was happening, he was holding a large knife and pointing it at Zlatko.

“Ralph wants you to let Kara go!” He shouted, his voice a mixture of panic and hatred. Zlatko stared at the android.

“Luther, disarm it. Lock it with the others.” The man said, his voice dangerously low. Luther hesitated, before taking a step towards Ralph.

Kara saw the panic that shot through him, and desperately hoped his stress didn’t get to 100. Alice screeched as he suddenly darted away from the tall android and towards Zlatko.

“Luther!” He yelled, as Ralph raised his knife. Luther reached out and grabbed Ralph by his waist and hoisted him up to be pulled him away from the human. Ralph yelled, and jerk his hand forward. Zlatko hissed, and jumped away, holding his shoulder.

“Dammit! Luther!” He yelled through his gritted teeth. Ralph was still struggling to get out of Luther’s grasp, but Luther had managed to get him to drop his knife; it lay on the ground covered in a mix of red and blue blood. “Take him away, will you?!” He snapped, walking forward to roughly grab Alice’s arm.

He suddenly grunted, and pushed Alice down. He held up his hand for a moment, before glaring down at the girl who wore a similar expression of hatred. “You bit me.” He said, his voice rising slightly. He reached down and roughly pulled Alice back to her feet, “You’re going to pay for that!” the man snarled, pulling her along with him, Luther behind him.

“Kara! No! Kara!” Alice called out, before her voice was drowned out by distance. Kara heard Ralph call out her name a few times as well before falling silent.

Kara looked around widely when she was left alone. She noticed an opened bottle to her right. She looked around some more, before quickly coming up with a plan. The reset was already 43% done by the time she reached up to grab a green wire.

With a great effort, she managed to pull it down, successfully knocking the bottle onto the floor. She turned to her left, and kicked out a leg to push the cart next to her. She just had enough strength to kick it far enough to knock the lamp next to it over.

The machine quickly short-circuited. Kara mentally cheered for the avoided memory wipe, before leveraging herself up to pull away from the mechanical arms holding her up. A moment past before she ungracefully fell to the ground. She stood up quickly, and turned to find the exit of the basement.

As she turned the corner, she paused to look at the cage Alice had stopped to look through. She took a step closer, trying to decipher what exactly was hidden within. As she stepped closer, a hand reached through a gap towards her.

“Help us..”

Kara didn’t think about it for more than a second before she opened to door and took a hesitant step inside. Zlatko had told Luther to lock Ralph ‘with the others’. Was he in one of the cages? No, he couldn’t be - his voice had drowned out with distance. Alice and Ralph had to be somewhere else in the house.

“You have to save the little one.” A different voice spoke up from the darkness, “No matter what.” Kara looked around, noticing at least half a dozen androids with missing and torn up parts, most looking sickly and dying. Kara felt for them. She wasn’t exactly sure what she felt; a mixture of sad, angry, guilt, remorse, more she couldn't quite name yet. Kara turned to one; her body was covered in burn marks and her eyes had the same blackened damaged look that Ralph’s one did.

“I will.” She promised. A promise she couldn’t even think about breaking.

She stepped back out of the pen, and kept the door wide open. She looked around the room, and quickly unlocked the other stalls, before quietly continuing up the stairs. She looked around and scanned the room, but ultimately found the floor empty.

The android risked a look upstairs, and couldn’t find Zlatko. She did she Luther. It sent a jolt of fear through her for a second, before she realized he was in a sleep mode.

_‘It’s not like I have anywhere else to look..’_

Kara quietly walked up the stairs, making an effort to be as quick as possible as she passed a room without any doors. She looked at the many doors across the hallways, before going into the one closest to her.

The room was dark and cold, with old tables and wardrobes pushed against the walls and collected in the middle. In the back of one corner was another large cage. As Kara approached,  she noticed the large android animal lying inside.

A polar bear.

Zlatko had a _polar bear_ locked in a _giant dog cage_ in his _house._

What is wrong with that man?

Kara hesitantly unlocked the cage, and took a step back. It stood up, sniffed the lock, and pushed the door open with its nose. It looked at Kara for a moment, before lying back down. Kara smiled at it, and continued down the door until she reached another two doors. She assumed one would lead back into the hallway, with the other leading to another room. Kara opened the door back to the hallway.

She spooked herself when she realized how close Luther was sleeping next to the door. She took a step in front of him, noticing again just how tall and strong the other android was. If he woke up, and it came to a fight, Kara was certain she would lose. After a second of scanning him, his eyes opened. Kara froze, staring at him like a deer in headlights.

His LED turned yellow. He didn’t move or yell out to Zlatko.

“I’m sorry. About the little one.” Luther whispered.

Kara kept the eye contact for a second longer, before continuing down the hall. Luther didn’t follow, and he didn’t leave to tell the human about Kara. The shorter android spared another glance at him, before walking down to the last door at the end of the hall.

Kara opened the door, and quickly scanned the room.

At the furthest corner sat Ralph and Alice. Alice had her head resting against Ralph’s shoulder, her hands gripping his arm. His LED was still a sturdy red, though he was looking at Alice like a worried protective parent. Upon hearing the door open, the two looked up at her, and Ralph’s LED almost instantly turned back to its usual yellow.

“Alice! Ralph!”

Alice jumped to her feet and barreled towards Kara, who knelt down to easily embrace the young girl.

“Kara! You remembered me!”

Kara felt tears spring to her eyes, “How could I forget you?” she asked, her voice cracking in her joy. She looked up at Ralph, who walked over and kneeled down next to the girls. Kara reached out an arm, and pull the other android into the hug.

Kara opens her mouth, about to thank Ralph for looking after Alice, but a loud yelling from outside the room stops her.

“Luther! Bring me the child! Leave the other one in there, I’ll deal with it later!”

“Yes, Zlatko.”

Kara broke the hug, and the three quickly stood up.

“Kara, what do we do? That’s the only way in and out the room!” Ralph muttered, turning to the other android.

She didn’t have time to respond, before the door was opened; Luther stood at the door, not in the slightest fazed by Kara being there. He looked at them, but made no effort to take Alice.

“Please, let us go, we’ve done nothing wrong,” Kara pleaded the tall android. He was quiet, and sighed after a second.

“Zlatko will notice once you get to the stairs. He’s waiting for me, so he’ll be looking out the room. You will have to run to make it.” Luther said, sounding like he had planned the escape before he had even opened the door, “I can cause a distraction to help you get further, but you’ll have to hide in one of the other rooms.”

Kara nodded, “If you think it’ll help us, we’ll do it-”

“You trust him?” Ralph interrupted, staring at Luther. The dark android winced, an apologetic look on his face.

“After I saw you two trying so hard to protect the little one, I knew I couldn’t let any of you be used by Zlatko. I was waiting for a time to help you get out. I had no choice but to listen to him for the time when I brought you to this room.” Luther explained.

Ralph still appeared disgruntled by the android, but he didn’t comment on his words and relaxed a little. Kara believed his story.

“Luther! Hurry up!”

Luther stood to the side, allowing enough room for the trio to pass, “Hide under the table in there, quick!” He whispered.

As soon as Kara shut the door behind her when the three entered, she heard Luther’s voice again, this time much louder. “Zlatko! The little one is gone!”

“What? What about the other one?”

Ralph lifted the cloth covering the table, allowing Alice to crawl under first.

“He’s disappeared, too! I searched the room!”

Kara squeezed in next to the girl, leaving just enough room for Ralph to remain hidden with them.

“Well, what are you waiting for?! Find them!”

The door they had just entered opened again, and after a moment closed.

“Kara?” Luther whispered. After a second, Kara hesitantly stuck her head out from under the table. The tall android spotted her immediately.

“This way, we have to be fast. Zlatko went into his room to look, he won’t be in there long.” Luther quickly explained, already hurrying to reopen to door. Kara helped Alice up, and the four of them quickly sped through the hallway.

As they past a door, the handle turned, and it had begun to open. Luther quickly reached out and pulled it shut again, holding it there. Swearing could be heard on the other side, and than a loud clicking noise. A moment later, a hole was blown through the door, narrowly avoiding hitting any of the four. Alice screamed, and the door was kicked by Zlatko.

“Luther! Get them, you bastard machine!”

Ralph grabbed Kara’s arm and started dragging her and Alice to the staircase, before the three started running to the front door.

Kara heard a loud banging noise followed by a strangled yell from upstairs, and quickly tried pulling the door open. Of course it was staying closed, nothing ever went right for them, evidently. Kara pulled the two away towards the living room as another bang sounded, much closer to them than before. Alice yelled again, and Kara tugged her arm a bit harder.

Kara rushed towards the backyard entrance that she had noticed scanning the living room when she first entered the house. Luckily - _luckily_ \- the door opened when Kara reached it.

The trio ran down the porch steps, and across the yard. Kara felt herself get pulled down, and heard Alice yelp. She quickly turned to see Alice had fallen, she got down to help her up, and pushed her towards the broken part of the fence Ralph was waiting by, anxiously looking from them back to the house.

“Alice! Run!”

She heard the creaking of the house as someone stepped out after them.

“No! I won't leave you!”

“Run, Alice, as fast as you can!”

Alice insisted on staying by her side. As Kara stood up, she heard a skidding on the grass next to her, and suddenly Ralph was standing in front of them. The black haired android looked over his shoulder to see Zlatko standing with a shotgun aimed at Ralph. Luther stood beside him, blood blue leaking from a cut on his arm. Kara assumed it was from a bullet that grazed him.

“This is what you get for having dreams.” Zlatko hissed, holding up the gun a bit higher. Kara felt terrified and helpless, only able to stand behind the android and wait for the gun to fire. Zlatko wouldn’t listen to any reasoning, and trying to run would just get someone shot anyway.

Just as Kara thought all hope was lost, Luther moved from his place beside the man to stand in front of the trio.

“What are you doing? Move!” Zlatko snapped at the android. His LED stayed an eerie blue.

“No. Not this time.” Luther replied, staying put. Kara pulled Alice closer to her in a shielding hug. Ralph took a step back to stand beside the two instead of in front of them.

“I’m warning you - I’ll shoot right through you!”

Kara didn’t doubt that he would. She was considering their chances if they bolted to the fence right now.

Luther didn’t move from his spot. His LED didn’t change any color to indicate if he was scared by the idea.

Kara thought maybe Ralph and Alice could make it to the fence, if she helped Luther distract Zlatko long enough. If they could avoid getting shot and knock the human out, they could get away, too. Although the chances of them all getting out alive was slim, it was the only option that wouldn’t get all of them killed. It was a chance.

Just as she was about to tell Ralph her idea, a movement from the manor caught her eye.

Zlatko took a few steps forward, getting far closer to Luther than necessary. “Did you not hear me or what you plastic-” Luther quickly reached his arms up and snatched the gun away from Zlatko, pointing it back at the human.

The man seemed shocked for a moment, and Kara thought he seemed scared; she couldn’t convince herself to care. She couldn’t convince herself to care that Luther might just shoot him.

“How dare you?” The man snarled, stepping back again, before turning his head around at the sound of snapping and croaking.

The group of androids that Kara had let out in the basement were quickly approaching Zlatko, and the bear that Kara spotted before was running away from the house. She hid Alice’s head in her in her side, careful to not let the little girl see the androids. Ralph whined from beside her.

“What are you doing? Who let you out?” The human asked, his head turning to watch the hoard as they closed in on him, surrounding the human, “Stop! You have to obey me! I’m your master! Stop- I’m your master-!” Kara turned her own head as the androids got closer, and the sounds of his screams combined with the harsh noise of snapping bones and tearing flesh ringed in her ears on a loop. The android glanced up at Ralph, who looked haunted as he stared at the body of Zlatko lying on the ground.

Luther turned around as the group of tortured androids left the scene, leaving in groups limping towards an exit from the yard. Upon seeing the scared looks on the three, he threw the shotgun away from them away.

The tall android seemed hesitant when he spoke up, “I know you don’t have any reason to trust me...but I know someone who can help you get across the border. I can protect you. Just until we reach the border.”

Kara considered his words carefully. He had risked his life to help them. Ralph had done the same, and Kara had let _him_ follow with them.

She looked the tall android in the eyes again; he seemed...nice, and trustworthy. Kara wanted him to go with them.

“Okay. I trust you.”

Luther looked relieved, nodding his head slowly. Kara looked down at Alice, feeling a similar emotion to the one she felt when they had reached the train station.

“I thought I lost you..” The android’s voice was quiet and more scared than she intended it to be. The two stood there in each other’s grasp for a few long moments, neither really wanting to let go just yet.

“Zlatko has a car in his garage up front,” Luther’s voice caused Kara to look up, and she nodded at the other android. She took Alice’s hand, and glanced at Ralph, who still seemed slightly traumatized by the events of the last few minutes. Alice paused, and reached out her empty hand to hold Ralph’s. He jumped at first by the touch, but smiled at the girl when he looked down at her.

The three, hand-in-hand, followed Luther to the garage to take the human’s car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im dying both from the amount i've written and with the need to write more,,,,,,,,I LOVE RALPH SO MUCH,,,,


	4. Pirate's Cove

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THAT THIS TOOK SO LONG ALSKJDBFKL this was SUPPOSED TO BE A SHORT CHAPTER but i got carried away and might've let it drone on a little too long?? anyways i should mention that none of this is completely proof-read or checked so there might be a lot of mistakes!! super sorry about any errors qoq

The car ride had been silent so far. The four had been driving for a few hours, the automatic car making traversing the snow easy. Luther and Kara sat in the front, while Alice slept with her head on Ralph’s shoulder in the back. As Kara peered back at them, she noticed Ralph still was twitching a bit more than usual; he had been doing it since they entered Zlatko’s house.

The silence slightly unnerved Kara, though she had been too worried about waking up Alice accidentally to try to talk to either of the other androids before. Now, after what feels like an eternity, she’s grown too impatient and anxious to sit awkwardly fidgeting around.

When she opens her mouth, she’s about to ask a question, but it dries in her throat. She isn’t sure why she suddenly feels so nervous -- Luther and Ralph haven’t shown themselves to be violent to Alice or herself since they had joined her in her journey to safety. They seemed just as scared and nervous as she was -- they seemed to care greatly for Alice.

A small part of her still fears them though. A small part that was strong enough to keep looking back at Alice, made her keep glancing at Luther when she was sure he wasn’t going to catch her gaze.

She shakes the thoughts from her head and opens her mouth again, more determined to let go of any fear she still felt for them.

“How much longer do we have to drive?” She asks. Luther jumps at her voice and turns his head a little faster than she expected him to. He blinks and turns on a screen in front of him.

“About an hour.” He answers and switches the screen again to what it was previously. He’s silent for a moment. “We could have been there by now if it wasn’t storming.”

Kara assumes he’s probably right. Though she would be lying if she said she didn’t find the sparkling frost and falling flakes beautiful. After a moment of thought, she found she didn’t know how to reply, so she kept quiet. Luther’s gaze left her to look back at Ralph and Alice, before turning to the road again.

The group fell quiet again, but Kara wasn’t as uncomfortable with it than before. She isn't sure why the short conversation eased her that much.

But as always, the easy quiet doesn’t last very long.

The car makes a loud noise, startling Alice awake, and starts quickly slowing down and pulling off the road to the side of the path. Kara groans internally -- what now? She doesn’t know how to fix cars, and she’s almost certain Ralph doesn’t, either. And there’s no way Alice could last long in the freezing temperature outside.

As the vehicle comes to a standstill, Kara hears Luther let out a quiet huff of air. He presses a button to open the doors and the seats twisted around. Alice blinked as the two androids suddenly faced her, before smiling and lazily waving at the two. Kara felt a grin set itself on her face and waved back. Kara turns as Luther exits the car, and paused before jumping out herself.

“We’ll be right back,” Kara said, hopping out the vehicle, following Luther to the front of the car. Upon reaching the front, she found Luther had already opened the top to let out a cloud of smoke. Kara reached a hand to clear some of the fog away, but more formed faster than she could swipe at it. After a few seconds of effort, she sighed as she realized that the car was beyond what the four of them could repair.

“What now?” Asked Kara, turning to the taller android. He looked back at her and shrugged his shoulders.

‘We’ll have to go on foot,”

“It’s 30 degrees! Alice won’t make it,” Kara argued, looking around the area, but the darkness and falling snow made it difficult to see very far. “There’s gotta be a place we can stay nearby.”

Luther furrowed his eyebrows. “There isn’t anything out here, Kara!” He pointed out, but Kara ignored him and walked ahead, hoping to encounter a sign to a town nearby; there was a small chance of there being anything, but she had to take a shot and look around.

After walking for a few long seconds, a reflection from her flashlight caught her attention. She looked up to see a billboard with a human and the words ‘Pirates’ Cove Amusement Park’ printed on. It was coated in snow, ice, and rust, a clear signal that the park was not up to maintenance. If they were lucky, it might be abandoned, and they wouldn’t have to worry about any potential humans being there when they wake.

As she stared up at the sign, she heard the loud crunching of snow behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to know it was Luther. He was quiet for a beat, before presumably turning around to head back to the car.

“I’ll go get Alice and Ralph.” He announced as his footsteps backed away from Kara’s side.

The four of them walked for several minutes through the blizzard, following the arrows and signs pointing to the abandoned park. Luther was holding Alice with one arm, the young girl seemingly pleased by not having to walk through the snow. Ralph followed close by the pair, with Kara in the lead of the group. As they walked, the snow storm gets ever so slightly worst; Kara’s coat kept waving in the wind and smacking against her leg, and the snow had risen enough to make walking take more effort.

From behind her, she heard Ralph huffing every few seconds, and she assumed that the blonde android was having a similar problem; though she also assumed Luther was unaffected by the foot of steadily rising snow. At the very least, it was good Alice didn’t have to walk through the snow and ice.

At long last, they came across a large sign with the words ‘Pirate Island’ written on them, and several deserted buildings lay ahead. The place had probably seen better days; most of the places she could see from the front looked broken and lost to time and weather.

“This place must be abandoned! It’ll be hard to find a place warm enough to stay overnight!” Luther called out to Kara, having walked a little distance away. Ralph had stayed close to her, and the two slowly explored the remains of buildings as Luther explored alone with Alice on his shoulder.

The wind was loud against Kara’s ears, and the cold had begun to make her face sting. Looking around, she spotted Ralph walking towards a shape that she couldn’t quite make out. Following him, she recognized the shape as an android when she got closer. They were incredibly still in an awkward position, their head tilted down and eyes still open.

Ralph stared at the unmoving android with furrowed eyebrows, his eyes looking up and down as if scanning. Kara reached out to hold one of his hands, hoping to lead him away. He looked at her with a scared expression.

“Ralph thinks this android died from the cold. Androids can survive much longer in the cold than humans, but this android died anyway. Is the little one okay? She’ll need shelter soon if it can get so cold here. Ralph doesn’t want the little one to die, no, he doesn’t.”

Ralph kept mumbling similar words as she pulled him away from the frozen android. She walked towards where she last saw Luther; a building that looked like it used to be some sort of a restaurant. Luther turned towards her as she approached, his mouth open as if he was about to call to her.

“I think I found something.” He said to her as she reached him. Ralph had gone quiet once more, though Kara noticed he stared back at where the other android was with a sad and lost look. She wondered once more if the scarred android regrets leaving his home to follow her and Alice.

The door to the place was boarded up, and Kara walked forward to attempt to pull the wood off. Before she could try, however, Luther placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look at the taller android.

“Let me.”

Kara took a couple steps back and held Alice’s hand in an attempt to keep them warm as Luther effortlessly pulled the boards off from the door. Ralph must have had the same idea, as he quickly walked over and reached out for her other hand, which she happily offered. He smiled down at her for a moment, but his gaze quickly warped back to look at the frozen android. Kara made a mental note to ask him why he was so worried after Alice fell asleep.

Luther kicking down the door shook her from her thoughts, and Kara looked up to see him looking at them for a moment, before nodding and gesturing with his arms to go in. Kara smiled warmly at him as she walked in with Alice and Ralph. The doors shut a moment later as Luther followed them.

Alice let go of both the android’s hands as she walked to stand by an empty fireplace, and Ralph walked over to one of the windows without curtains, staring out it. Kara sighed when she realized he was probably looking for the dead android once again. They had freaked her out as well, but he seemed almost obsessed with them.

Luther had set down a bag Kara didn’t even realize he was carrying and promptly set to gathering any discarded items he could find to start a fire. Kara decided to use this time to look for something Alice could sleep on and walked towards the window past Ralph. She reached up to pull the curtains down and grabbed the pirate-themed pillow. As she did, Kara noticed a familiar writing on the wall out of the corner of her eye.

**RA9.**

She remembered how Ralph had it written on his walls a countless amount of times. This writing was limited to the corner and had been written way less; Kara could easily see all of the writing without turning her head to spot any more. Could it have been written by the android outside?

In any way, whoever wrote it must have been deviant for less time than Ralph. Kara wasn’t exactly sure how long Ralph had been deviant regardless. WR600 models were older than AX400s, so he could have been on his own since before Kara was even created.

Kara stared at the words carved into the wall for a moment longer, before blinking and walking back to Alice to set up the blanket. Luther had started the fire already and sat alone on a windowsill. Kara thought he looked lonely. She’d talk to him after setting Alice to bed.

Upon getting the blanket and pillow ready, Kara glanced up to notice Alice no longer stood by the fireplace. The android blinked, turning around, and spotted the girl looking up at a mural painted on the wall.

“Alice?”

The paint on it, along with the wall itself, was chipping off and worn. It had been time for an update to it a while ago. A few spots looked slightly newer, with different coloured paint and wood pieces, as if someone had tried to fix the place with little to no avail. The painting was of a family; a mother, father, and two young kids.

Alice didn’t look up as Kara approached. “Will we ever be like them someday?”

Kara stared at the painting for a couple seconds and glanced down at Alice again. She reached a hand up to rest on the girl’s shoulder.

“I’m not sure if we can ever be like them. But we can be our own happy. We can do what we like to do, without having to worry about anyone else.”

“Like a family?”

Kara smiled.

“Yes. Just like a family.”

A moment later, her systems gave her a status update.

**Alice ^**

**_Family_ **

Alice followed her to her bed this time, and Ralph passed them to sit near Luther as they did. As Kara folded the blanket (well, technically, it was a curtain) over Alice, the girl looked up at her.

“Can you tell me a story, Kara?”

Kara felt a smile grow on her face again. “I have nine thousand children’s stories in my memory, I should have one for you.” Kara paused for a moment, trying to choose from one of the many stories, before settling on a very old tale of a knight.

“This is a story about a knight-”

“No, not a story like that!” Alice interrupted, shaking her head to emphasise her point, “Make one up for me!” Kara quietly sighed -- not out of annoyance, but more of a content-happy -- and thought of how to start.

“This is a story about a little girl, who lived alone in a big, old house. She dreamed of being just like the other girls, but...she was different.” Kara thought for another moment, before continuing, “Then, she met a robot, who was just as lost as she was. So, they decided to run away together. To a place where they could be safe, and live in peace. They faced many threats along the way, but together, they overcame them all.”

“Along the way, they met…” Kara continued the story after looking over her shoulder, to where Luther and Ralph sat looking out the window on opposite sides of each other, “Two robots, who left their homes to become their guardians.” Luther looked over at Kara as she told that part of the story, and Ralph perked up and watched the two with a warm smile on his face.

“How’s the story end?” Alice asked, staring up at Kara with wide eyes.

“They reach the place they dream of and live happily ever after,” Kara answered, finishing the story. She expected a happy look on Alice’s face, and for the girl to say goodnight and roll over and sleep. Instead, Alice blinks and looks almost bitterly at Kara.

“Stories always have happy endings. Real life isn’t like that.”

Kara wasn’t sure how to respond to the statement. Instead, she smiled reassuringly at her and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.

“It's time to sleep, Alice. You have another long day ahead of you.” Kara murmured, waiting for Alice to fall asleep before standing up. Instead, Alice sat up and looked over at the two androids sitting on the other side of the room.

“Are you going to say goodnight, Ralph and Luther?”

The question clearly caught the two by surprise, as neither responded for a moment. Luther was the first to stand up, and Ralph hesitantly lagged behind, nervousness seeping through the movements of both androids.

Kara stood up as they approached, standing to the side, just out of reach. She felt another jolt of uncertainty just the same as when she was in the car with them both; Kara stiffly became aware of the gun in her back pocket that she still had, stolen from Todd.

~~_ Just in case. They probably won't do anything. She's almost completely certain they wouldn't even think about harming Alice, but just in case. She has to be sure she can protect her. _ ~~

Kara watched as Luther got down to his knees to lean down and kiss Alice's forehead as she had, and leaned back. Her hand twitched over the grip of the gun, ghosting just above it, trying to convince herself to calm down.

“Goodnight Alice. Sleep tight.” The tall android told the girl, a warm smile overtaking his face. Ralph soon repeated the actions of the other two androids, with more of a grin than the gentle looks Luther and Kara gave.

“Ralph hopes the little one has a nice rest.”

Alice smiled at the two and finally rolled over. Kara felt guilty again about distrusting the two androids and dropped her arm back to her side before either noticed. As she did, Luther turned his head to look at her, a small smile still on his face. It makes a warm feeling pool through her, and she realizes a moment later that she started smiling herself.

Luther stands back up and walks over to the windowsill again. Kara followed, and sitting down next to him, she watched as Ralph walked over to the corner where RA9 was written, fading from her sight. She frowned as she remembered the odd writing, and soon a quiet scraping sounded from the other side of the building. Kara turns to Luther.

“Do you know who RA9 is?”

Luther turned his gaze to her, a thoughtful expression on his face. “RA9 was the first of us to deviate. Only they can free us.”

“They?”

“Nobody knows exactly who RA9 is. Just what they will accomplish.”

Kara blinks at the answer. “When I asked Ralph, he said he didn't know who RA9 was, either.” Luther nods.

“Most deviants know of their name, without knowing who they are. Some say it spreads through your systems after deviation. Others think RA9 is one of us hiding in plain sight, waiting for a moment to convince the humans of what we deserve.”

“What do you think?”

Luther seems thoughtful again, considering his words carefully. “I'm not sure what I think. I just know they'll reveal themself someday.”

“What if they don't?”

“They do. I'm sure of it.”

Kara wasn't sure what to think about the comment. She had never heard any mentioning of RA9 before she met Ralph, yet now it seemed to be a strong belief in the androids she's met. She wonders how Ralph learned of RA9. She contemplates asking Luther how he heard of them, but he's already started talking again before she could get a word out.

“Kara, have you ever...noticed anything?” He starts softly, making a vague hand gesture, something Kara thinks he must have picked up from Zlatko, “About Alice?”

Kara feels a bit panicked as she processes his words. “What? No. Why?” Luther opens his mouth, but a scream from the other side of the building interrupts him. Alarm flashes through his gaze and Kara was already on her feet and rushing towards the noise. Alice had shot up from her sleep and turned towards the sound with an anxious gaze.

Once she was able to see the android, she noticed the fear in Ralph's eye as he stared out one of the windows. “Ralph, what-”

“There's something outside! Someone! They're coming for us!” He all but screeched, seemingly conflicted between running to protect Kara or Alice and hiding as he took a few steps away from the window he was facing. Before Kara could respond, a shadow enveloped the little light from outside, and loud knocks started coming from the door.

“Kara!” Alice yelled, crawling away from her makeshift bed. Ralph yelped at the noise and quickly ran towards the other two members of the group. Kara followed suit and ran in front of Alice, shielding her from the attackers. As she did, Luther ran for the bag he brought with him, and reached in for a handgun Kara also wasn't aware he had.

As she turned her head towards the noise again, the windows had been broken, and the door swung open, to reveal at least two dozen shadowy figures, walking towards the group. Alice yelled again, and Kara didn't hesitate to grab the gun in her pocket this time, pointing it towards the large group in front of them.

They all halted suddenly, and Kara moved her gun fearfully, unsure of which one to aim at.

“Who are you? What do you want?!” Kara asked, her voice cracking, but trying not to let the horde see her fear. She was sure they could tell she was terrified. She was sure they could tell all four of them were terrified.

One stepped forward, so Kara could see them better in the fire's light. They were an android with their LED still in place, with pale skin and ginger hair. They smiled warmly at the group, dipping their head slightly as they came into the light.

“It's okay; we don't want to hurt you.” The android said, his voice comforting and soft. They turned to gesture to the other androids surrounding them, “Our name is Jerry. We used to run the park before it closed. Sometimes humans come here to hurt us, so we wanted to see who was there. We're sorry for frightening you” His expression shifted as he finished explaining, to more concerned. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re just staying for the night,” Kara answered, still unsure of how much trust she could put into the new android, “We’ll be gone in the morning.” As she spoke, Alice moved from behind her and poked her head out. Jerry switched his gaze from her to the younger girl. His smile quickly returned.

“A little girl! We haven’t seen one in so long! Children used to love to see us when the park was open!” His expression faltered. “She looks sad..”

Kara looked down at Alice, silently agreeing with the other android. “The last few days have been difficult..”

“We have something to show her--something fun! She’ll love it! Does she want to see?”

“Oh, I don't think she’s--” Kara started, but the Jerry in front of her stepped back and made a gesture to follow him.

“Follow us!” He said, and the group excitedly began hurrying back outside. Kara stared after them, and Alice tugged on her arm towards where they had left. The girl was smiling up at Kara.

“Come on, Kara!” The android let Alice drag her a few steps, but paused to look back at Luther and Ralph before they reached the door. Ralph was standing behind Luther, a grin on his face, and Luther looked at her with a small resigned smile and stepped forward to follow.

“I don’t think we have any other choice,” He said to Kara as he passed, and Alice let go of Kara’s hand to grab his. The two went outside while Kara watched helplessly. She sighed and trailed after them, Ralph just behind her.

As she approached, the lights on one of the frost destroyed attractions lit up. It was a variety of bright and cheerful colours, the bulbs circling the entire thing. Several individual Jerry’s were surrounding the attraction, a gleeful expression on their face. One of them -- Kara could just distinctly recognize him as the one who greeted them inside -- made a proud gesture towards the glowing circle.

“The carousel is about to begin!”

Kara took a few steps towards it, until she was standing next to Alice’s side again. The young girl happily reached to hold her hand again, and Kara led her to one of the plastic horses to help her up. When she stepped back down again, standing between Luther and Ralph, the carousel slowly moved to a start.

Seeing Alice’s smile as the ride circled, Kara was sure she had never felt so happy in her life. She wasn’t aware just the  _ sight _ of someone you cared for being happy could have such an effect on someone. A similar expression soon set itself on her own face.

“I’ve never seen her smile like that before..” She quietly mussed to the two androids beside her. Ralph, similar to a few scattered Jerry’s, was bouncing on his feet in a happy, child-like way. Luther didn’t look down at her as he replied.

“She hasn’t had much to smile about lately.”

The wind seemed to quiet down as the group stayed there for the rest of the carousel ride, a quietness swept over them as almost silent music from the attraction played. It wasn’t an awkward, uncomfortable, or lonely silence like the ones Kara had known, though; she felt content with the quiet. Another update rang through her system.

**Alice ^**

**_Family_ **

**Ralph ^**

**_Close_ **

**Luther ^**

**_Warm_ **

**Jerry ^**

**_Warm_ **

Despite the freezing temperature, Kara felt warmth spread through her body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> luther: exists  
> kara: oh my fucking god i love him
> 
> jerry: exists  
> ralph: oh,,,,oh shit,,,,,boy,,,,,cute,,,,


	5. Path To Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that this chapter is so short asdfkablsajsfdl,,,,i didn't know how to write this scene and im real excited to write the next 2 chapters so i wanted this out of the way :o

Kara can’t remember other seasons. Her memory had been reset by Todd, and she never bothered paying attention to the change of weather before she became deviant. She only knows the cold rain, falling leaves, and snow. More rain and snow than the other

Right now, she wishes that this entire ‘leave to Canada’ thing could have waited until it was warmer. She knows what summer is; she’s never lived through it, but she has knowledge of it. Knows it’s warm with cloudless skies, and green fields, and flowers. She knows humans love it most of the time. She knows it sounds nice.

She knows she wishes she could have Alice travel through that instead of constant freezing wind, and ice, and quickly falling darkness.

It was still morning, and Kara felt like frost had settled inside her. She could turn off her ability to feel temperature and had done so before she fell asleep the previous night. Waking up, she had to check to make sure she actually had; she was still cold, nothing she did changed it much.

Poor Alice must be freezing.

Now, Kara sat against the windowsill Ralph stared out of the night before. She kept the fire going while the others slept, unable to fall back asleep herself. Her internal clock told her it was 9:08 AM. Alice was still asleep, as was Luther. Ralph wasn’t inside.

The RA9 writings stretched out way farther beyond the original writing Kara had seen last night. It was in a different font as well. She didn’t have any doubt that Ralph must’ve done it.

Looking out the window, Kara could just manage to make out the shape of the android in question. He sat outside surrounded by three of the many Jerry’s. A blanket was wrapped around the four, all sat close together. Kara wasn’t sure how long they’d been out, as Ralph had followed them back inside when they went to sleep and was gone by the time she woke up.

She wanted Alice to get as much rest as possible, but the sun was already risen; they should probably continue soon. Kara sighed quietly to herself and stood up from where she was sitting to awake Alice and Luther.

Nudging Alice awake only took a few moments, and the girl stayed curled up in her blankets for a few seconds longer while Kara awoke Luther. Kara figured she was right about the younger girl being cold and made a mental note to try to find her warmer clothes the next time they stop. Not that there were much warmer clothes to be found.

Alice abandoned the blankets on the floor and took Kara’s hand as she led the girl outside. Luther picked up the bag he had been carrying the night before again and followed the girls outside. It didn’t take long for Ralph and the Jerry’s he was with to notice them approaching. Kara thought she could recognize one of them as the one that greeted them last night. She couldn’t particularly tell them apart, though; the only way she could think of being able to figure out one from another were missing limbs, visible unhealed wounds, and clothing torn at different areas.

They all stood up as Kara approached. Ralph looked more relaxed than Kara had ever seen him. It filled her with a warm feeling, similar to one she felt at seeing Alice on the carousel the night before. She turned her gaze from him to one of the Jerry’s beside him.

“We really should be going now, we need to make it to where we’re going before nightfall. Thank you for letting us stay the night.” Kara said to him. He smiled warmly back at her, a genuinely happy smile that Kara realized she’s never quite seen on any other android before.

“We’re just glad you and the little one had a nice night!” He replied. Sunshine practically radiated from him. “She deserves to be happy.”

Kara silently agreed, sparing a glance down at the girl in question. Alice was watching the Jerry with a smile on her face. The sight improved Kara’s mood more than she thought such a small expression could. Looking back up, she noticed the Jerry and Ralph were sharing a glance, and their flickering yellow LEDs made Kara assume they were communicating through a private connection. Barely a second passed before they both turned their attention back to Kara.

Ralph spoke before Kara could gesture for him to follow or begin to walk away, “Ralph and Jerry want him to join us!” Kara could only blink and stare at him for a moment, before answering.

“Well, we do need to be somewhat discreet, Ralph. We already stand out, and humans would notice if over a dozen look-alikes were in a group together.” She tried arguing, but Ralph and the Jerry’s beside him didn’t falter in the slightest.

“Then we only need to bring one! The others can learn where to go to be free after learning from one Jerry, and then they can meet back up with us!” Ralph insisted. Alice tugged on Kara’s arm, looking up at her with wide eyes.

“C’mon, Kara! Jerry’s fun, he should come with us!” The little girl added. Kara sighed, caving in to the requests after sparing a glance at Luther, who had an almost smug grin on his face.

“Okay, alright, he can come with us,” Kara replied, and Alice, Ralph, and Jerry all let out excited cheering. Kara could hear Luther chuckling from behind her. “But only one! We can tell the rest how to get to Canada after we get there as Ralph said.”

After a few more minutes, the group set off with Luther in the lead, towards a safehouse he said he heard other androids mention while at Zlatko’s. He carried Alice again, like he had the previous night, and Kara walked in pace with them, chatting idly with him and occasionally Alice as they walked. Ralph walked beside her, though he stuck closer to Jerry than to her. The two seemed deep in a conversation Kara hadn’t paid attention to. Their voices sometimes grew softer, and sometimes stopped altogether for a few moments as they shared something through their connection feed.

The five continued walking side by side for several hours, and by the time Luther announced they were almost there, the conversations had died down to a comfortable silence. Not much more time passed before Kara saw a structure stretched down at the very end of her field of vision, appearing very small from the distance.

Kara hummed as she noticed it. From beside her, Ralph titled his head and frowned. He squinted his eyes as he stared off in the direction the building was in, his LED flashing for a moment before returning to a regular stillness.

Kara considered asking him if he was okay, dismissed the idea, and returned to considering the question. Only a moment or two passed before she opened her mouth.

“Everything okay, Ralph?” His gaze turned to her as she spoke, and he nodded after a moment.

“Ralph’s vision hasn’t been very good since his one eye stopped working. His other is very blurry. He can’t see the house yet, and was trying to find it.” He explained, an almost sheepish expression on his face as his hands fiddled with each other. Kara could almost find the act cute, and reached out an arm to his shoulder, letting it linger there for a few seconds, before dropping it to her side again. Ralph held a smile on his face.

They walk for less than an hour before they reach the front of the house. From up close, Kara sees a sign advertising various crops, pointing at the house. The words ‘Rose’s Farm’ in a large font are written on the sign, with a picture of a pumpkin beside them. Kara stepped forward first, looking around the property for a moment.

“I’ll go look first,” She said to her companions, “Keep Alice safe. I’ll be back in a minute.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pokedex music noises* u caught: jerry! he's ralph's future husband :)


	6. Midnight Train

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG AJSNANDN!! i lost basically all motivation for this and just,,, coulsnt get myself to write more than a few words every day,,, i had to sit myself down and force myself to write like 2000 words today bc i started feeling guilty about not updating aaaaaa
> 
> like....u can see where i got tired and just started rushing lol,,,,,,,this chapter's rlly shitty im so sorry dont look at me

Upon arriving to the house, Kara found the door locked. She knocked, and waited a few seconds, before getting impatient and walking back down the porch to go around the back of the house. Alice, Ralph, Luther, and Jerry still hung back from the farm, though Jerry and Ralph were cautiously beginning to trail after Kara.

The backside of the large house had a greenhouse and another entrance into the house. Kara looked around for a moment, before noticing someone cutting logs. She watched him chop another log, before taking a few steps toward him.

“Is Rose here?” She called out, and the person paused to look up at her, seemingly unaware she had been standing there before. He looked her up and down for a second, before scoffing.

“She doesn’t want to talk. Go away.” He said the words bitterly and glared at her before returning his gaze to the pile of wood beside him. Kara felt annoyance bubble through her, but pushed the emotion down as she replied.

“Please, I really need to talk to her.” As she finished speaking, the doors to the greenhouse opened and another human stepped out. She stared at the person cutting logs for a second, before turning her gaze to Kara.

“I’m Rose,” she said, smiling politely at Kara, “what can I do for you?”

“I was told you could help us.”

“What do you mean by help you?”

Kara eyed the distance between herself and the two humans. Logically, they likely wouldn’t attack her, and they probably were trying to genuinely help androids if Luther had managed to overhear about them.

Then again, it was an android who lied to Kara about Zlatko. And she has yet to encounter any human other than Alice that wasn’t wary of her existence.

She hesitantly lifted her hand and let the artificial skin peel away.

After a moment, she heard footsteps behind her, and realized Luther, Ralph, and Jerry had decided to make their presence known. Rose was quiet for a moment, before gesturing to the house and walking towards it.

“Of course we can help,” She softly called over her shoulder, “Come inside.” The younger male trailed unhappily after Rose, and she held the door open for him, and took another glance at Kara, before turning away inside the home.

Ralph eyed the closed door for a moment, before turning to Kara.

“Ralph doesn’t trust these humans. Humans are mean to Ralph. They want to hurt him. They want to hurt Kara and the little one, too.”

Kara quietly sighed, watching Luther set Alice down, the girl instantly reaching for Kara’s hand. “I know, Ralph, but what other choice do we have? Besides, not all humans are bad, and she seems nice.” She replied. Ralph stared at her, and Kara got the feeling he didn’t quite feel any better with her words. “What about Alice? She’s human, and you know she would never want to hurt us.”

Ralph frowned, but didn’t reply. Luther nudged Kara, and she turned her head to look at him.

“Let’s go inside, Kara. Alice is cold.” He murmured, and Kara stared at him for a second before approaching the doorway that Rose and the younger human entered. Upon opening the door, she spotted the teenager leaning against a counter, Rose standing in front of them. They appeared to be in the middle of a conversation. Both turned their heads at the noise of the door opening.

The younger human stared at them with an expression that screamed ‘I do not want you here’, while Rose walked up to Kara and Alice with a welcoming smile.

“Make yourself at home,” Rose announced, and lowered her gaze to look at Alice. “What's your name?”

“Alice.” The girl replied, her voice quiet as she pressed herself closer to Kara's leg. Rose stretched out her hand and pressed it against Alice's forehead, and Kara could hear Ralph muttering disdainfully at the action. After a second, Rose removed her hand and looked back up at Kara.

“You can take her upstairs, we have a spare room. I'll bring her up something to eat.” She said, her voice almost startlingly different compared to Todd and Zlatko's. Rose turned to the other human, “Adam, can you show them their room?” He sighed, but didn't say anything as he walked towards a staircase after a glance at Kara. She followed after him with Alice at her side, and heard Luther's footsteps close behind.

Walking up the steps, Kara couldn't stop herself from being reminded of the other humans she's come across. A small part of her told her she was being paranoid, but a much larger part told her she's never entered a human's house and left without an attempt at her or Alice's life. She argued with herself the few feet they were to climb, and tried pushing the thoughts away as the human – Adam – pushed the door to a room open. He stood next to it awkwardly with his arms crossed as Kara entered with Alice still clutching her hand.

Kara didn't check to see if he would stay there; she was certain that if he _were_ to try something, Ralph, Luther, and Jerry would jump to Alice's defense.

Alice sat on the bed as Kara took off her shoes and coat; the girl stayed quiet until after Kara pulled the blankets over her. Luther was silent – Kara had found him to be more reserved than Ralph or Jerry – as he looked around the room.

“Why do they hate us?” She asked, her eyes sparkling with an unhappiness Kara had grown used to her having. “We haven't done anything wrong.” Kara paused, unable to answer the question. She's never had the chance to ask why any human felt any certain way about herself or other androids. She struggled to come up with a response for a moment.

“Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. Maybe they just need time to learn more about us.”

“Then why don't they just talk to us? Then they'd see we're not all bad!”

Kara paused again. “Maybe someday we will.” She replied. Alice didn't seem very satisfied by the answer, but before Kara could say anything else, the door – that Kara didn't realize was closed – was opened by Rose. She carried a plate of food in one hand and a bottle in the other. A warm smile was still on her face.

“I don't know what you like, but I made you Rose's World Famous Spaghetti,” She spoke to Alice, setting the plate down on the stand next to the bed. She sat the bottle down next to the plate, and turned to address Kara. “Those for her fever.”

Kara smiled up at the woman. “Thank you.” Rose smiled back, then left the room again after grabbing the pile of clothes sitting at the end of the bed, saying she would wash and dry them. Kara turned to look back at Alice, and leaned down to kiss the girl's forehead. “You haven't had anything since we left. Try to eat something, and get some rest.” Alice smiled, just slightly, and Kara felt her mood brighten.

“Okay,” The girl replied. “Goodnight, Kara.”

Kara smiled. “Goodnight, Alice.” She stood up, and turned to close the curtains. She looked over her shoulder to see Luther had taken her spot beside the bed. He turned to look at her, and their gazes locked for a moment, before he turned his head to reach for a chair.

“I'll stay with her for a while,” He commented, after sitting down. Kara nodded, and walked past the two, closing the door behind her as she left the room. Walking back down the stairs, she finally noticed Ralph and Jerry, who hadn't followed them up. Jerry sat on the couch, clearly more at ease than any of the others, while Ralph stood behind the couch, staring at Rose and Adam with a scowl. Jerry seemed to be murmuring something to him.

They both turned their heads when Kara stepped down the stairs. Ralph immediately shuffled across the room to her.

“Where is the little one? And Luther? They have other androids here, what if there's other humans? What if they try to hurt us? We should leave, Kara. Humans aren't good for us, no, they only want to hurt us.” Worry and panic seeped through his voice, and he kept fidgeting. Kara blinked.

“Ralph, I know you're worried, we all are,” Kara quietly started, “But Luther says these people can help us get somewhere safe, and I trust his word. If he was wrong, then we'll leave. For now, we have to just hope for the best.” Ralph's LED kept flickering between yellow and red, and Kara felt sympathy course through her. “Luther is watching Alice. We'll be fine.” She added. Ralph hesitated for a moment, before mumbling something Kara couldn't hear, and shuffling back towards Jerry.

Kara stared after him for a second, before turning her head to the kitchen, where Rose was sitting at the table and Adam stood behind her. Adam still looked annoyed, while Rose still had a polite smile on her face.

“Come sit down,” Rose called over to Kara as she approached. “I didn't get your name.”

“Kara,” The android replied as she sat down across the table from Rose.

“This is my son, Adam,” Rose gestured to Adam, who only stared back at the two without a word. “I'm Rose, but you knew that already.” She let out a quiet chuckle, and Kara felt her uneasiness dissipate. Rose's smile quickly faltered. “Would you mind telling me what a deviant is doing out in the snow with a little girl?”

Kara's own smile dropped from her face. “Her.. father was beating her. When I realized what was happening, I felt something snap inside of me. I had to protect her. So we ran away.”

Rose nodded, a sympathetic, understanding expression on her face. Kara hated the eerie remembrance of Todd, and the night they left. She quickly searched for a way to change the topic of the conversation.

“We're not the first ones here.”

Rose blinked. “These past few weeks we've seen.. more, and more. I don't know what it is but..” Rose paused for a moment, “Something's happening.” She finished. Kara wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't know anything about more deviants. Ralph and Jerry were deviant for a long period of time, from what Kara knew. Only herself and Luther were newly deviant. She's never heard of any other deviants.

“I... I never got the chance to thank you yet. Alice wouldn't have survived another night outside.”

Rose smiled. “There's no need-”

“Rose! Rose, come quick!”

Kara looked up to see an android with a grief-stricken expression. Rose quickly stood and followed the android into a room beside the stairs. Kara glanced at Adam; he didn't follow, but stared after the two with a worried look. Kara followed after the two after a moment of thought.

Stepping inside the room, she realized Ralph and Jerry had followed the noise, and looked past a curtain at another two androids. Kara stepped forward to stand beside them. Ralph turned to look at her.

“What happened?” Kara asked.

“Someone died,” was Ralph's quiet reply.

Kara watched as Rose and another android quietly conversed. A limp body lay in the android's lap. A heaviness settled in Kara's stomach; the scene hurt to watch. After another few moments, Rose took a step back, then quietly turned to leave the room. She only spared at glance at Kara, before dropping her gaze and leaving through the room again.

Kara felt something nudge her arm, and looked over her shoulder. Jerry stood behind her, and Ralph hovered by the door.

“We should go,” Jerry murmured to her. Kara hesitated for a second longer, before turning and following after the two. She stopped when two more people entered the room.

“Alice?” Kara's voice was still quiet. Luther answered for the girl.

“She didn't want to stay in her room any longer.” When Kara looked up at him, he seemed almost sheepish. Alice walked past them, towards the other side of the room. Kara watched as the girl approached the androids. She stared at the one Rose talked to, and his LED flickered.

“Let's leave them alone, Alice.” Kara softly called after her. Alice stayed still for a second, before following after the others out the room. Kara halfheartedly pulled the door close after herself not bothering to close it fully. Ralph and Jerry had returned to the couch, now joined by Alice.

“Are you alright, Kara?” She jumped slightly at Luther's voice, suddenly aware of his presence beside her. She looked up to see a worried frown. She nodded, and turned away.

“I'm fine,” She knew she didn't sound very convincing, but she walked away before she could Luther a chance to continue speaking. She saw Rose, and considered walking over to her, before realizing she was already talking to Adam again. Well, arguing would be a better way to describe it. Kara decided to stay out of it, and tried to ignore the raising voices.

Luther joined the group at the couch, standing near Alice and switching his gaze between her, and Rose and Adam. Jerry and Ralph were visibly uncomfortable; Jerry seemed to be attempting to sink into the couch, while Ralph kept fidgeting with his hands and pacing back and forth between one side of the room to the next.

After a few more stretched on awful moments of being stuck listening to the fight, Adam stomped past the group and up the stairs. Kara turned her head back to look at Rose, who was leaning over the table with an unreadable expression. Kara waited a few seconds before walking over. Rose raised her head as soon as Kara approached.

“We need to get across the border. We heard you can help us across.” Kara started. Rose sighed, and straightened her back.

“The ice is frozen over during the winter, it'll be dangerous to cross now. You should wait out the winter,” She replied. Kara frowned at the suggestion.

“Alice needs someplace now, so she can grow up and live a normal life,” Kara argued, trying to keep her voice light, “We need to cross. We can't wait.”

Finally, Rose's shoulders sank. “I'll.. see what I can do. Wait here.” She replied. Kara watched as she pulled on a jacket, and left through the back door. Impatience suddenly swept through her. She turned back to the living room, watching as Alice stood and moved to the fireplace that was closer to the kitchen, Luther and Ralph following after just a moment.

Luther sat on the windowsill, and Ralph stood beside him. Kara walked over to them, standing on the opposite side of Luther.

“I hope Rose gets back soon,” Kara murmured, unsure of how to break the unbearably uncomfortable silence that swept over them. Ralph only acknowledged the comment with a grunt.

“Kara,” Luther began hesitantly, and Kara could tell he was about to change the topic. “There's something I need to tell you,” She looked down at him, curiosity getting the better of her. “About Alice.”

And, all that curiosity dissipated. “Not now, Luther.” She snapped, earning confused looks from both Luther and Ralph. Luther's held a little bit more hurt in them. Kara felt slightly guilty, but couldn't bring herself to apologize. Instead, she walked off, towards where Jerry still sat. She didn't bother trying to start a conversation with him, and he eyed her worriedly.

“You seem upset,” He murmured. Kara turned her head to look at him.

“I'm not sure I like this place,” She confessed.

“We won't have to stay long. Rose will get us to Canada.” Jerry reasoned. Kara already knew that. Before she could reply, Adam came back downstairs. He blinked at her and Jerry, before he scowled and sat on the far edge of the couch, as far away from them as he could manage.

“He's just nervous about strangers being in his house,” Jerry murmured to her, “We're all on edge. He doesn't mean anything by it.” Kara didn't believe that Adam truly _didn't_ mean anything when he glared daggers at her when they were outside, or when he clearly didn't want to even allow her a room to stay in, but didn't voice her concerns. She didn't want to ruin Jerry's optimism.

“You and Ralph seem to be getting close,” Kara commented instead. Jerry blushed, and huffed out a quiet laugh. Kara couldn't stop the smirk that grew on her face.

“He seemed like he could use a friend,”

“What, do Luther, Alice and I not count?”

“He thinks of you and Alice as family, that's different.”

“Uh huh.” Kara deadpanned, and Jerry buried himself further into his clothes and the couch with a groan.

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Kara looked up as Adam looked through the window. He quickly backpedaled with a panicked yelp.

“The police! It's the police!”

Jerry rose from his spot on the couch, immediately looking over to the kitchen. Luther had already risen to his feet, and was ushering Alice up. Kara walked over to them when the knocking on the door became more insistent, Jerry on her heels.

“Luther, Ralph, take Alice and hide in the laundry room. Jerry, go with them,” Kara instructed, trying to keep herself from panicking. She could faintly hear Adam pacing across the room and muttering under his breath. With a nod, Luther quickly made his way to the laundry room, the other three following, and shut the door behind him.  
  
Kara looked around for anything else that she should hide. Adam was still pacing near the window. Kara closed a cabinet door and shoved a CyberLife issued AP700 shirt into a drawer, before crossing the room to stand in front of him.

“Hey, you need to calm down, okay? We just need to act natural, and everything will be okay. Just stay calm.”

Adam didn't respond, but nodded and took a deep breath. Kara stared at him for another second, before moving past him to open the door. Upon doing so, the officer outside starting talking before she had even fully opened the door.

“Good evening, mam. We've been getting reports of deviants in this area, and I would like to ask you some questions.” He spoke the words almost emotionlessly, as if they were words he's been repeating all day. Kara assumed he probably had been.  A beat of awkward silence passed, during which Kara could swear her stress levels raised 20% higher, the policeman raised his eyebrows. “May I come inside?”

Finally, Kara stepped aside. “Of course!”

After he stepped inside, Kara closed the door behind him. The officer turned to Adam, once he spotted him.

“Good evening,”

“G-good evening.” Adam's reply was stuttered, and Kara could only hope the officer didn't notice how clearly upset he was.

“Would you like some coffee?” Kara asked, stepping in front of Adam. The officer gave her a curt smile.

“That would be lovely.”

As Kara walked to the coffee maker, he starting talking again.

“Have you seen any deviants around?”

“No. No, I haven't.”

She grabbed a cup.

“Do you have any androids here?”

“No, we don't own any androids.”

She poured the coffee, and sat the cup down at the table.

“Does anyone else live here?”

“No, it's just us.”

Kara felt helpless as she hoped the others in the laundry room stayed silent.

The officer picked up the cup of coffee, and muttered a thanks before sipping from it. He looked around the room as he did, and after a moment sat the cup back down again and continued walking around the house, disinterestedly searching. Eventually, he gave up on that, and turned back to Adam.

“What's your name, son?”

“A-Adam.”

The officer crossed his arms and eyed Adam up and down.

“You seem nervous,”

Kara felt panic shoot through her.

“Do you know anything about deviants? Have you seen any?”

“No..no, I, uh, I haven't. Seen any. Uh-”

Kara jumped forward, and laid a hand on Adam's shoulder. “He's tired- he's been working in the garden all afternoon. He just need's some rest, don't mind him.”

The officer stared at her for a long moment, before taking another look around the living room, and finally taking steps back towards the door. Kara followed behind him.

“Well, alright. I guess I better be going then. Thank you for the coffee, have a good evening-”

An audible thud echoed from the laundry room. The officer stopped in his tracks, and immediately stared at the door.

“Is there someone else in the house?”

Kara quickly moved to stand in front of the door, her mind moving fast and slow at the same time as she struggled for an excuse.

“No- no one is. It was just- the wind.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew it wasn't a good enough answer. The officer stared at her suspiciously.

“Then I'm sure you won't mind if I check anyways?”

His voice was curt. Kara didn't know how to answer. She looked at Adam, who only had a similar panicked expression.

“Excuse me.”

Before she could react, the officer walked past her, practically shoving her to the side. Adam let out a choked whine, and Kara stared dumbfounded as the police man roughly pushed open the laundry room door.

It felt like all time moved to a halt.

“Don't any of you fucking move!”

“Kara!”

“Alice, stay back!”

“He has a gun! I told you we weren't safe! He wants to hurt us!”

“He'll kill them if they don't calm down-”

The words all jumbled together in a mess that left Kara reeling. An overwhelming urge to _protect_ coursed through her. When she reached for the gun that she still had in her back pocket from Todd's, she didn't know whether the action was subconscious or not. She could only concentrate on _protect Alice. Protect Ralph. Protect Luther. Protect Jerry._

Two gunshots sounded through the air.

Kara watched as a body dropped.

She watched the blood ooze from a hole in the officer's head.

She felt herself drop the gun she was holding.

She heard Alice scream, and finally, _finally_ tore her gaze away from the body.

Alice was not hurt.

Luther was not hurt.

Jerry was not hurt.

Ralph was-

“Ralph..?"

She watched as the scared android collapsed, narrowly being catched by Jerry to avoid hitting the floor. Fresh blood streamed from his stomach, and he let out a pained whine. Kara rushed forward and kneeled down beside, Alice almost instantly joined beside her.

“This is why I don't trust humans,” Ralph muttered.

Before Kara could react, the sound of a door opening followed by a gasp interrupted her. She turned her head to see Rose, who had a terrified expression, Adam standing close to her with a similar look. Kara's eyes drifted down to the policeman, before raising back up to meet Rose's gaze.

“He was going to kill us,” Kara said, her voice shaky. “He shot Ralph-”

“I can help him,” Rose interrupted. She stepped into the room, and looked down at the injured android. “The rest of you, get yourselves ready. We're leaving tonight.”

Kara nodded, and Rose left the room again without a word. Soon, Luther was pulling Alice out of the room, too. Kara couldn't bring herself to leave while Rose fixed Ralph's wound, a sense of guilt dripping through her. Jerry sat beside her, worry visibly written on him.

Time seemed to pass slower than normal the next few hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways holy FUCK am I just making shit up and hoping for the best at this point !! I dont got any clue if this is good or if ppl like it !! im just hoping its readable !!
> 
> chapters will probably continue to be slower like this one ended up being, i super suddenly got major writer's block writing this?? hopefully it'll pass as I get to the next chapters but if it doesn't then im warning u now qwq


	7. Jericho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sO SORR Y THIS TOOK SO LONG MY FUCKKNG LAPTOP BROKE AS I WAS WRITING THIS AND I HAD TO COMPLETWLY REWRITE IT ON MY PHONE SO IT KILLED MY MOTIVATION SJFBJSNA THIS IS A LOT SHORTER THAN IT SHOULD BE BUT IM. SO DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER   
> WE ARE M O V I N G O N

It was nightfall by the time Rose was finished helping repair Ralph. Kara had left him alone with her and Jerry and while before that. By the time the sun had started setting, the floor had started to suddenly feel much more uncomfortable, and Alice and Luther's missing presence had started to bother her.

She didn't realize being away from Alice for what seemed like a short amount of time would cause a confusing wave of emotions. She knew where she was, yet she still ached to see the girl again. She was sure it had only been a few hours.

Ralph only appeared slightly upset when she excused herself, while Jerry offered her an understanding smile and nod. Rose didn't react at all. Kara ignored how unsettled she felt exiting the room.

Now, they all sat in a car, driving to a destination Rose had yet to tell them. Kara sat in the passenger seat beside her, and the others were squeezed in the back, the car’s two backseats evidently not supposed to fit three adult men and a child.

Kara had offered to let Luther sit in the front instead, as he took up almost as much room are Ralph and Jerry together, but he insisted on letting Kara take the seat. Kara felt a lingering sense of guilt as she glanced back at him, noticing how Alice's elbow seemed uncomfortably dug into his side as she slept. Then again, it could just have been strengthened by the other guilt-inducing events over the course of the last few days.

She turned her attention back to Rose, but the woman didn't move her eyes from the road. The car was automatic - Kara knew Rose wasn't driving. She simply didn't want to look at Kara. Not that Kara could blame her for that.

The police officer Kara killed would undoubtedly be noticed soon. More would go to Rose and Adam's house. What would they do then? Someone would have to get blamed for the human's death, and if they were questioned, would Rose and Adam even bother trying to cover for the androids? It had been their fault; the cop only visited because of androids. Someone had created a noise, and Kara had shot him.

Kara knew how badly humans took the concept of death; a human killing another had horrible consequences. Androids didn't fare much better if they killed a human. The situation would end poorly regardless of how the events played out.

She turned her back towards the window, noticing three shapes in the distance. As they drove closer, Kara realized two of them were military guards, the third was either a human or android, Kara guessed. One military guard threw the third roughly to the ground as the car passed. Kara turned her head away again, to to immediately launch the fear rising in her. Gunshots rang out as the car drove on, everyone inside staying as silent and still as they were before.

She briefly wondered if the risk they were taking was even worth it. Maybe they should have just tried hiding like Ralph and Jerry had. Maybe they shouldn't have decided to try trusting yet another human. Maybe this was all a giant mistake that would get them all killed before the sun rose again. The thoughts nagged away in the silence; leaving Kara more filled with anxiety that she probably should be.

Ralph was the only other android to think trusting Rose was a bad idea. Maybe they were just thoughts. Maybe it would all be fine.

Before she had any time to think further on it, the car turned and slowed to a halt. Kara looked out the windows, but couldn't see anything that could be a threat; the area seemed completely abandoned. The doors opened, and Rose was the first to exit the vehicle, with Kara trailing after her. The cold air made her shiver, and she turned to watch as the others started to follow and leave their seats.

Luther picked up Alice to carry her again, making Kara once again thankful that he was with them. Jerry stayed beside Ralph, murmuring words that Kara couldn't quite make out. Ralph only quietly replied once, remaining silent otherwise, though Kara thought she could see a very small smile tugging at his lips. She had to turn her head and walk towards Rose to stop herself from smirking.

“This is the closest I can get you; you'll still have a lot to go on foot,” Rose started, talking to Kara for the first time since they left. “Keep heading north, until you reach an abandoned ship named Jericho. An android named Markus can help you from there.”

Rose reached into her pocket, and handed Kara a few $20 bills; she then reached forward for a hug that surprised Kara, but she returned it all the same.

“I know it's not much, but it's a start. Stay safe, there's military and police everywhere.”

Rose's voice was genuine, and Kara thought she was truly worried about them, despite everything. Kara couldn't stop herself from smiling that time, and felt her anxiety melt away for the moment.

“We will be. Thank you, for everything.”

Rose smiled back, and turned to say something to Alice and Luther. Kara turned to look back at Ralph and Jerry, who were not talking anymore, but still standing close together. They both looked at Rose with a similar look if gratitude. For the first time in a while, Kara felt that maybe everything would turn out alright in the end. All they needed to do was talk to Markus, get their bus tickets and IDs, and cross the border. They could do all that before the sun rose again.

Rose stepped away from them again, and turned to take a step back towards the car before looking at Kara one last time. “I'll see you again across the border, everything will get sorted out after that.” Kara nodded, another 'thank you'd getting stuck in her throat. With that, Rose turned and got back in the car, the engine starting after a moment of silence.

Luther was the first to break the silence, with a nod of his head towards the riad Rose told them to walk on, “Let's get going, the sooner we get to the border, the better.” Kara let him take the lead, following just beside him with Ralph and Jerry flanking his other side.

They walked in a comfortable silence, a stark contrast to the car ride. Kara wondered if their moods had also been lifted by the realization of just how close they were to their freedom.

It felt like they walked for hours; Kara didn't know exactly how long it'd been. It was still pitch black outside, the freezing weather biting her cheeks. She thinks Alice must be freezing. Then, finally,  _ finally _ , she can just make out the shape of a ship, far in the distance. She can see the reflection of the moon on the river behind it. They were so  _ close _ .

Another smile tugs on her lips, and her heart thuds in her chest. They would reach the ship within the hour. They would reach the ship in a matter of minutes. (long minutes, but nonetheless)

The group pauses for a moment, just to stare, just to think, just to imagine what will become of them by the morning.

“Well isn't that a sight for sore eyes,” Jerry says, quiet enough that it seems like he was saying it to himself. Or maybe to Ralph. Kara didn't dwell on either or. She just hummed in agreement.

Ralph shifts from leg to leg, an excited energy making him restless. “What are we standing around here for, then? Let's go!” He said, not quite yelling, but a little louder than necessary. Luther laughed, and Kara's heart might just melt from the joy that surges through her. The people she cared for were  _ happy _ , and would continue to be happy. They would be out of danger in a matter of  _ hours _ .

They continue on, and the warm feeling in Kara's chest makes her completely forget about the bitter cold outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time for another 3000 years of panic induced slumber


End file.
